An Ode to Charlie Ngatai
Scour back through the almanacks and you’ll find no shortage of New Zealand players who never quite reached their potential on the international circuit. John Drake, Marty Holah – even Richard Kahui – history is littered with players who, for whatever reasons, weren’t able to achieve what many thought would be a foregone conclusion. One of the most promising midfielders of recent years, Charlie Ngatai, will shortly be added to this list.
Charlie Ngatai, born to Kirk and Lisa Ngatai in 1990, was a star performer for his local Gisborne Boys’ High School team in his formative years, eventually going on to captain the First XV. Ngatai represented New Zealand at the Sydney Youth Olympic as a sprinter and took advantage of his trademark pace all over the Gisborne backline, paving the way for him to play senior rugby for Poverty Bay in the Heartland Championship in his final year of schooling.
Ngatai seemed to be destined for great things and was picked up by Wellington in 2009 to start his professional rugby career. An under-20 berth with Dave Rennie’s World Champion squad in 2010 was Ngatai’s first opportunity to represent New Zealand rugby on the international circuit and he took his chances well, playing in every single match of New Zealand’s campaign. It was post-2010 where Ngatai’s career progression slowed – primarily due to a number of injuries, something which ultimately plagued his entire career.
Although he was picked up by the Hurricanes in 2011, Ngatia notched up just two appearances for the Wellington-based Super Rugby team over two seasons. 2011 was almost a complete write-off for Ngatai due to injury and even when fit he was never able to cement any semblance of regular game time in a backline containing players such as Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith and Cory Jane – even though Ngatai was capable of playing in almost any position in the backline.
The sheer level of competition at the Hurricanes prompted a move to the Chiefs in 2012, where Ngatai linked up with his former U20 mentor, Dave Rennie. It was here that Ngatai really started to flourish, forming strong midfield combinations with Sonny Bill Williams, Seta Tamanivalu, Tim Nanai-Williams and, in the latter years, Anton Lienert-Brown.
Ngatai’s robust frame – surpassing both six feet and 100kgs – meant that he was a perfect battering ram in the midfield, and his underappreciated fend forced many a player onto their backside over the years, but it was his speed that really seemed to take defenders by surprise. Unsurprisingly for an age-grade sprinter, Ngatai was one of the quickest players on the field – especially over short distances – and it was his combination of power and explosive pace that made him a line-breaking specialist for the Chiefs.
Ngatai’s transfer to the Chiefs coincided with him soon switching provinces from Wellington to Taranaki, where current Chiefs coach Colin Cooper had the reigns. As in his early years, Ngatai spent time in both the midfield and at fullback for Taranaki and was a standout performer for the team when they won the ITM Cup in 2014. Ngatai’s level head, strong rugby IQ and close bond with Cooper also meant he was selected as Taranaki’s regular captain during his time in New Plymouth – a role that became commonplace for Ngatai during his professional career.
His performances at provincial and Super Rugby level meant that when fit, Ngatai quickly became an automatic selection for Maori All Blacks representative side – a team that he also went on to captain. Ngatai managed 12 appearances for the side over six seasons, including the match against the touring British and Irish Lions in 2017.
Ngatai’s form over the years since he transferred to the Chiefs was finally rewarded in 2015 when he was selected in the All Blacks for their first ever match in Samoa. Few would have been surprised to see Ngatai finally in black given his obvious natural ability and his time earning his stripes at the lower levels. Though he not sighted on the field until the final quarter of the game, his first cap gave a glimpse of what Ngatai could offer the national team when he showed off his monstrous fend.
The sad news for Ngatai, though he would not have known it at the time, was that his first cap also turned out to be his last. There have been many rugby careers in New Zealand ended by concussion in recent years, a fate Ngatai only narrowly managed to avoid.
A head-knock early in the 2016 Super Rugby season meant Ngatai wasn’t sighted on the pitch for almost a year. Even after finally making a return, Ngatai was sometimes only able to notch up a few matches in a row before succumbing to one injury or another. He himself has admitted that there was a period during his concussion battles that he thought he’d never be able to play again, so it was a huge relief for fans of the game as well as fans of the player when he was finally able to make a return to fulltime rugby.
Though somewhat disappointing, it came as no surprise when Ngatai announced that he had signed for French club Lyon at the beginning of 2018. Though only an injury or two away from being called back into the All Blacks, his own personal injuries could well terminate his rugby career at any moment. Professional sports careers are often fleeting and you have to make the most of the time you are given. No doubt, Ngatai is aware that the time is nigh for him to cash in on his ability and set his family up for the future.
Of course, post-signing for Lyon, Ngatai still had one more season for the Chiefs to complete. Though injuries meant he wasn’t able to feature as much as he would have liked, Ngatai was still one of the team’s top performers – and the team performed noticeably better when he started in the midfield. Charlie Ngatai will never be remembered as a great All Black, but his contributions at provincial and Super Rugby level will never be forgotten. Were it not for some incredibly unfortunate luck, Ngatai could well have gone on to have an illustrious international career. Instead, Ngatai will forever be fondly thought of as one of the countries top Chiefs.
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
I hope Leinster’s proud of themselves fielding a poor team. They should decide if they’re all in or not.
1 Go to commentsJordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
23 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
13 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
6 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
6 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to comments